Priviet Vsekh!
I am alive and well in Vladivostok. It was a smooth enough ride so
far with only a couple minor hang-ups, that in hindsight can easily be
framed as "adventures".
For example, I boarded the ferry and realized after asking 27
employees who didn't know, that the boat arrives 2 hours after my
travel agent closes for the weekend. This would have locked up my
tickets well past my departure time and I would have been screwed like
the proverbial Christmas goose. Luckily, I jumped ship early in a
Russian town so, so small its not even on the maps here and took a 4
hour bus ride on largely dirt roads. I arrived in Vladivostok with a
world class case of motion sickness and 25 minutes to spare. Phew.
Also, while I only have one big bag and an "overnight" bag, I have
managed to pack enough crap in it to make it an absolute chore to get
around. It must, literally, be pushing 100 lbs. of misclanous pieces
to my life and getting it anywhere requires risking a hernia breaking
a Niagra falls-like sweat. I don't know what I can get rid of along
the way...it just kind of adds up! Maybe the 17 piece solid brass set
of Buddha demonstrating the karma sutra with mother Theresa wasn't the
best port-town purchase I could have made. (kidding, of course, I
would gladly lug a set of those 9000 km across Russia)
I am now killing time before getting on the main course of my trip
across Russia. A 3+ day ride from Vladivostok to Irkutsk in third
class with, hopefully, friendly neighbors who include a massuese, a
cook, and a magician who can enterain us along the way before siging
us to sleep with folk lullabies.
I'm off to the 24 Supermarket directly across the street from the
train station and the international port to stock up on provisions for
the ride. I am hoping they cater to a broader clientel than just
sailors and have something more than penicilin, vodka and cigarettes
on the shelves.
More from mother Russia in a few days!
